


Inner Flame

by FlawedVictori



Series: The Rebellious Year [1]
Category: The Wheel and the Way
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 15:42:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11740113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlawedVictori/pseuds/FlawedVictori
Summary: Just days after the snafu in the mayor's office, Mazoga is ready to quit, to run away, to take a dang break.Rose won't allow it, though. They've got work to do.





	Inner Flame

**Author's Note:**

> Figured I’d write a few short stories, elaborating a bit on what happens during the 14 month timeskip in our actual play podcast, which can be found at wheelandway on tumblr. (This has spoilers for the game thus-far, obviously, but nothing too bad... i think?)
> 
> You don’t have to listen to our games to enjoy these, but I’d recommend doing it anyway, because it’s a lot of fun. Thoughtpiercer is a rapier that Mazoga can focus her magic through.

 

Mazoga flung Thoughtpiercer to the side and took a seat in the dirt, her face darkening as she crossed her arms across her chest.

Before it had even hit the ground, Rose had kicked it back to her, scoffing. “On your feet, Captain.”

“Fuck off.” Was her only reply.

“Mazoga.” Rose ordered, a bit of steel in her voice, and Mazoga shot her a glare.

“Do _not_.”

Rose opened her mouth, and Mazoga cut her off.

“Look, I’ve been working my ass off! I finally get back from all that crap, get a couple days to get over that stuff with Siobhan, and then get thrown into this fucking job, and then someone stabs the asshole, and now I’m supposed to be some kind of rebel or something?! Give me a fucking break, for once!” She kept the glare up for a long moment, breathing heavily, and then turned it towards the forest at the edge of the clearing they were training in.

“Finished?” Rose asked, reaching a hand out to her, and Mazoga shrugged, refusing to look at her.

“Mazoga…” She said, in a softer voice, taking a seat beside her. “You’ve been working really hard, and I’m proud of you.”

“Oh, fuck off.” Mazoga replied, and Rose laughed.

“Fine then.” She continued, the laughter still in her voice as she hopped to her feet. “You want a break? You can have one once we take the city back. Till then, we’ve got to keep it up.”

“I _get_ that, but...” Mazoga sighed. “Look, I’m a wizard. I’m a magic user, I fight from a distance, and I don’t really _need_ -”

“How would you beat me?” Rose asked, her smile disappearing. “You’ve seen what I can do. Can you even hit me with magic when I’m trying?”

“I…” Mazoga sighed.

“Besides,” Rose continued, offering Mazoga her hand again. “You can do this. I wouldn’t be pushing you if I didn’t think you could.”

Mazoga looked up at her, and sighed inwardly.

Rose… had a bad habit of assuming others had that drive, that strength.

And… she just _didn’t_. She wasn’t as strong as her, she didn’t have that never-ending drive to keep moving. When she wanted to lay down and quit, Rose was always ready to keep going.

And she just. Kept. Pushing.

It was infuriating and admirable and endearing all at once.

“How about this…” Rose said, not putting her hand down. “If you can manage to knock me on my ass, I’ll quit making you go through forms… for today.”

Mazoga took her hand.

/

Mazoga Shattersky, magical prodigy, faced down Rose Lightbloom, the Blade of Sarenrae.

Rose did her customary low bow, and Mazoga returned it, before straightening up slowly.

Rose shot her a grin… and disappeared.

Mazoga swore and dropped into a clumsy defensive stance… and then Rose reappeared about four feet ahead of her, putting Mazoga’s sloppy form to shame with perfect execution.

“Attack.” She said, and Mazoga obeyed.

Her first strike was precise, and perfectly aimed… but horribly executed, and Rose effortlessly brushed it aside.

“C’mon, Mazoga! You gotta do better than that!”

Mazoga grit her teeth and struck again, and Rose slid her head smoothly out of the way, re-directing the desperate hilt-strike with her free hand.

“See? Form is important.” Rose said, grinning again, and Mazoga shouts in frustration.

The strikes lose all semblance of form, then, and she attacks in a flurry, Rose quieting down, having to actually focus on her defense… until she lashes out with a punch to gain some space.

Mazoga takes the punch to her shoulder, but slams the hilt of Thoughtpiercer down onto Rose’s knee as she does, and Rose feels her eyelids become almost insurmountably heavy in an instant.

She realizes what Mazoga’s done in the seconds before she falls asleep, and makes a mental note to make her spar _without_ Thoughtpiercer in the future…though she kinda admires how she pulled it off.

/

Mazoga stretches, a self-satisfied smile on her face, and leans down to shake Rose’s shoulder.

Rose’s breathing shifts, and she screws her eyes shut. “Five more minutes, mommy~” She says, in a soft, breathy voice.

Mazoga blinked. “No. No, nono, no… _no_.”

“But I’m tired… carry me to bed?” She pleaded, puffing her chest out.

“Oh, get up.” Mazoga replied, and she can _feel_ Rose’s grin.

“But Mazoga… isn’t that _your_ job?”

Mazoga blinked… and started heading back to tonight’s hideout.

Rose appeared beside her soon enough, and needled her until they got there.

And Mazoga wouldn’t have it any other way. 


End file.
